Q♠T♠ BTN vs BB, river on A♣ 8♦ 5♣ 5♥ 2♠, 95 bb
The spot
- You: BTN
- Opponent: BB
- Your hand: Q♠T♠
- Board: A♣ 8♦ 5♣ 5♥ 2♠
- Effective stack: 95 bb
- Pot: 14 bb
This river node requires thin value and bluff‑catch discipline.
Choose the highest-EV river action.
See the answer
Best play: Bet 40% pot
Why
Final board A‑8‑5‑5‑2 rainbow, no flush. Hero's Q♠T♠ never connected = queen-high air with no pair and no showdown value. The BB checked twice and is capped at weak aces, small pairs and missed draws, but most of those still beat queen-high. A small 40% stab is the disciplined bluff size: it folds out the BB's busted high-card and underpair part of the range cheaply, and the Q/T provide light blockers to better Qx/Tx showdowns.
Key idea
With pure air that has no showdown value, a small bet is a low-cost bluff to fold out the opponent's weak made hands.
Common mistake
Checking queen-high back when it can never win at showdown, surrendering the fold equity a small bluff would capture.